About the Department

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Mission

Justice and Peace Studies is an inter-disciplinary department designed to prepare students to be responsible critics of contemporary societies and effective agents for positive social transformation.

The Justice and Peace Studies department is strongly interdisciplinary and interfaith. It promotes understanding and appreciation of widely diverse ideologies, cultures, and world views. Special attention is given to the rich tradition of Roman Catholic social thought in the context of pluralistic world societies.

Goals

Students graduating with a major in Justice and Peace Studies will understand how the circle of praxis works, as well as the role of each of its components. They will also know how to use skills associated with each component.

They will know the principles of active nonviolence, how it operates to promote social change, and several historical examples of its use.

Students will also learn the techniques and uses of other methods of social change and how to judge when to use each method effectively.

They will be able to engage in respectful dialogue with people who value and propose responses to violence and injustice that differ widely from their own.

They will understand, and be able to use, conflict resolution skills in personal life and small groups,and they will understand how these techniques are used in inter-group and international conflicts.

They will have developed the personal skills and confidence to work effectively in organizations committed to justice and peace.

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A Center of Excellence

St. Thomas's Justice and Peace Studies department is one of the best of its kind in the country. Swarthmore, Berea and Moravian, Gustavus Adolphus colleges and Bethel University (MN) have modeled their programs upon ours,Hamline University, Loyola University (Chicago), South Dakota State University and the University of Minnesota have all consulted us while developing similar programs. Three JPST faculty have served on the board of the national Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA), and individually our faculty repeatedly receive recognition.

JPST Strategic Planning Report Now Available

Early in 2011 University of St. Thomas's Academic Vice-President, Susan Huber, endorsed the Strategic Planning Report of the Justice and Peace Studies program, based on two years of extensive consultation across the university. Please click the link below to access the report.